Palaver Languages Festival at the Contact Theatre

The Palaver Festival, held at the Contact Theatre in Manchester, is a festival of Language and Performance. It is a collaboration between the Contact Theatre and the University of Manchester.

The Palaver Festival will celebrate language and performance with a stunning range of performances. Palaver will stage new languages of performance and will bring language learning to life. For a full list of performances, please see the brochure by clicking here.

Middle Eastern Studies presents
‘The importance of being Amy, Robert, Rafi , Tammi ...’
Mon 22 & Tue 23 March, 7.30 pm

An original play about Arik and Carol who love each other in spite of and because of their backgrounds. (He is an Israeli, she is English). But an attempt to name their unborn child develops into a major crisis – should the baby’s name be Hebrew? English? Modern? Traditional? Long and distinguished? Snappy and cool? Is it a comedy or a tragedy? You decide.
All performances in Hebrew and English.
£8/£5

Italian Studies presents
Back to the Future: Return of the Futurists
Mon 22 & Tue 23 March, Late Night Specials

Inspired by the style and principles of Marinetti's Futurism, this original performance fuses rhythmic beats and powerful visuals with the Italian language as has never been done before to create a unique image of our present time. BANG BANG TUM TUUM BELL, and the audience performs as well.

The German Society presents
‘Sonnenallee’ by Max Beinemann, based on the novel by Thomas Brussig
Tue 23, Wed 24 and Thu 25 March, 8pm

20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Society’s production of ‘Sonnenallee’ takes us back to 1970’s East Berlin. Follow Micha Kuppisch, his friends and family, as they juggle alleged Stasi neighbours, Existentialism and young romance with every-day life in the GDR.
All performances in German.
£8/£5

The French students present
‘La Cantatrice Chauve’ (The Bald Primadonna) by Eugène Ionesco
Wed 24, Thu 25 and Fri 26 March, 7.30pm

Ionesco’s satirical play challenges British social norms thanks to its fast pace and hilarious verse, which draw the audience into the absurd world of the Smith household. This production offers a fresh and vibrant take on this classic French-Language pièce through the use of physical theatre, projection and sound effects.
All performances in French.
£8/£5

TOWER OF BABEL, curated by Community Arts North West
A 3 day celebration of multi-lingual performance by the many voices of Greater Manchester, including:

Film Jam
Wed 24 March, 10 pm, FREE
A showcase of short films, produced by aspiring film-makers who have worked alongside Manchester’s most talented video & sound artists.

Exodus Cabaret
Thu 25 March, 10 pm, FREE
Latin American beats, African rhythms, Asian sounds & cutting edge rap in Arabic, French, Bangla, Polish & more

Kurdistan Art and Culture, in partnership with Exodus present:
A celebration of Kurdish Culture
Fri 26 March, 8 pm
First UK performance by internationally renowned Kurdish vocal group, Sulemanya, alongside a new piece of theatre exploring the lives of Kurdish women at home and in exile.
£ tbc